Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is the founding member of the EGF-family including HB-EGF, TGF-α, amphiregulin, epiregulin, epigen, betacellulin, NGR1, NGR2, NGR3 and NGR4. EGF can be found in macrophages, urine, saliva, milk, and plasma, is a growth factor that stimulates cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation by binding to its receptor EGFR.
EGF and/or EGFR have been exploited to develop imaging methods and targeted therapies against cancers overexpressing EGFR.